Visit St. Pete Clearwater reports $26M in community grants, unveils visitor welcome center pilot
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Summary
The organization said it distributed over $26 million in CDC dollars across five projects, updated capital funding guidelines for 2026, and announced a countywide visitor welcome center pilot at a Courtney Campbell Causeway gateway to launch in spring 2026.
Kylie Diaz, vice president of community engagement, told the Tourist Development Council that community engagement programming returned more than $26,000,000 to five local projects from CDC funds and that staff streamlined capital project funding guidelines to increase transparency, prioritization and ROI for the 2026 cycle.
Diaz announced a visitor welcome center pilot to be located near a major county gateway on the Courtney Campbell Causeway. “This facility will be available to millions of vehicles traveling the Courtney Campbell Causeway, bikers along the Pinellas Trail, and community members living in and around the area,” she said, adding it will connect visitors to other centers and communities across Pinellas County.
Diaz also described partnerships and operational changes: new measurement technology has been installed in visitor centers to capture footfall data; the capital project application cycle will accept beach and park facility projects for 2026; and Visit St. Pete Clearwater has formed a partnership with Tourism Cares to promote meaningful travel experiences, including volunteer opportunities and cultural activities.
Board members asked where the welcome center will be located; Diaz said the site is still being finalized but will be in the Clearwater area and that the program will launch in the spring. Staff said accessibility training with Wheel the World will be extended to partners, hoteliers and restaurants so frontline staff can better welcome visitors with a range of accessibility needs.
